Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Promise Iheanacho MON (ⓘ) (spelled Ịheanachọ in Igbo) (born 3 October 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. A prolific goalscorer with creative abilities, he was a highly promising talent during his youth. He is nicknamed Senior Man and is renowned for his vision, dribbling, speed and finishing.
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Iheanacho playing for Leicester City in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kelechi Promise Iheanacho | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Owerri, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Leicester City | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Taye Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Manchester City | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Manchester City | 46 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Leicester City | 171 | (35) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Nigeria U17 | 7 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Nigeria U20 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015– | Nigeria | 54 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:59, 29 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:51, 26 March 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Iheanacho began his senior career at Manchester City during the 2015–16 season, winning the Football League Cup. He moved to Leicester City in 2017 for a reported £25 million fee, the largest ever transfer amount for a Nigerian player at the time and the second-largest for an African player after Egyptian Mohamed Salah. Iheanacho was instrumental in Leicester City's 2020–21 FA Cup success, scoring a joint-high four goals across the edition as the club won the trophy for the first time. He also scored the match's sole goal from the penalty spot as Leicester lifted the 2021 FA Community Shield.
At international level, Iheanacho represented Nigeria's under-17 team at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, being named the tournament's best player and finishing as the second-highest goalscorer as he led the side to their record fourth title. He would then be included in Nigeria's under-20 team for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, before making his senior international debut later that same year. Since then, he has represented the country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and at the 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing as runner-up in the latter tournament. Iheanacho was elected the Most Promising African Talent twice in 2013 and 2016, also being named as a substitute for the CAF Team of the Year in 2016.